Pilots and cabin crew should not to use mouthwash or tooth gel, which contain alcohol, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has stated.

These and other amendments in Civil Aviation Rules (CAR) dealing with medical examination for alcohol consumption came into effect on Tuesday.  According to the new rules, flight and cabin crew should undergo pre-flight alcohol test if their flights are originating within India. For all flights originating from destinations outside India, “post-flight breath-analyser examination” of each flight crew and cabin crew shall be carried out on reaching India, the new CAR stated.

In the draft, it was suggested that all crew of flights originating from destinations outside India should undergo pre-flight medical check. “All maintenance personnel shall be subjected to breath-analyser examination for alcohol consumption before undertaking any taxi operation of the aircraft,” it said.

“No crew member shall consume any drug or formulation or use any substance mouthwash/tooth gel which has alcoholic content. Any crew member who is undergoing such medication shall consult the company doctor before undertaking flying assignment,” it stated. The new rules stated that it is a well-known fact that even when the blood alcohol levels are zero in the body, there could be some effect of hangover, which is mainly due to congeners.